Is it just my idealistic view of what a nurse should be or does this bother other nurses? I have heard several times lately and have read articles of people who are going to nursing school, not because they want to be a nurse but because they want the paycheck and a stable job. My sister in law is one of these people. She said to me, " I really don't want to be a nurse but I figure that I can work as a nurse while I go back to school." I find that mentality very frustrating. I worked very hard to become a nurse. I worked as a nursing assistant before I became a nurse so I could make sure that I knew what I was getting myself into, I shadowed nurses when I was in high school. I really feel that this is what I was put on this earth to do and to hear people talk like this who have absolutely no concept of what they are getting themselves into and who have no respect for the profession just boils my blood. I feel like these people, who have no intention of staying in nursing for an extended period of time just make it harder for the nursing student who actually wants to make a career of nursing because they take up spaces on the wait list for getting into nursing school.
Maybe some of these people will be excellent nurses and will contribute well to the profession but I personally would not want a nurse to take care of me who only got into the field because they wanted a stable paycheck.
Don't you agree that to do well in nursing you have to have some desire to be here in the first place? These are people's health and lives that we are dealing with. This field isn't just about a paycheck!!!
I know I'm probably being naieve and idealistic when I say this but I really feel that nursing is a calling, not a JOB!!! I've been doing this type of work for going on 10 years now and I have felt that way about it from day 1.
What do you think? Does it bother you that people are getting into nursing who have no desire to actually be a nurse? Just wanting to hear other people's perspectives on the issue.
To the original poster, I couldn't have said it better myself............however, as long as they can do the job as it is required, and that is with a compassionate heart, and they can live up to the standards required and the other regulations of the job then more power to them...........otherwise please let me never run into these kinds of nurses cause I will tell them how I feel.
Specializes in (Hopefully one day..) neuro/urology ^.^.
To be honest, I'm not at all worried about the salary. I know the average salary of nurses, but that doesn't matter as to why I'm entering nursing school. A lot of students I've spoken with always just seemed focus on the salary!! It is NOT all about that. It makes me so angry..
'
Some people who do it just for the money usually end up finding out they entered the wrong career when they realize it's harder work than they thought and the money is not all that fabulous for the type of work you have to do.
Nurses, in my opinion, do not get paid near enough what they should be paid. And that goes for the LPNs, RNs, CNAs, all of them.
To each his own so long as they provide quality patient care. Job opportunity and salary are two of many reasons as to why I became a nurse. I will leave the profession the day my heart isn't in it anymore.
im sure my garbage man doesn't love his work but he does it for the paycheck. Come on, of course people have gone into nursing for the money. Those are usually the nurses that start looking for ways to get out of it once they start their career.
I dont have a problem with this as long as people try to do everything in their power to be a 'good' nurse. I hate being a CNA and its literally stability, means of paying for school, and a paycheck to me (a really sad crappy paycheck but a paycheck). The difference is I have compassion for my patients and try to care for them the best I can. As far as nursing is concerned, I dont know if I have "passion" but I know I love to be challenged and I love working with and educating people. I have worked in many areas, but I seem to always return to healthcare so nursing seemed to be a good fit and the pay is good, so why not? The truth is many people choose careers that may not be their "passion" but they choose it to be financially stable and to be able to provide for their families. Just because they arent passionate about it doesnt mean they will be bad at their jobs or that they arent entitled to try. I think being conscientous is just as important and a person who has this trait will do well because they will try to do the right and best thing.
Is it just my idealistic view of what a nurse should be or does this bother other nurses? I have heard several times lately and have read articles of people who are going to nursing school, not because they want to be a nurse but because they want the paycheck and a stable job. My sister in law is one of these people. She said to me, " I really don't want to be a nurse but I figure that I can work as a nurse while I go back to school." I find that mentality very frustrating. I worked very hard to become a nurse. I worked as a nursing assistant before I became a nurse so I could make sure that I knew what I was getting myself into, I shadowed nurses when I was in high school. I really feel that this is what I was put on this earth to do and to hear people talk like this who have absolutely no concept of what they are getting themselves into and who have no respect for the profession just boils my blood. I feel like these people, who have no intention of staying in nursing for an extended period of time just make it harder for the nursing student who actually wants to make a career of nursing because they take up spaces on the wait list for getting into nursing school.
Maybe some of these people will be excellent nurses and will contribute well to the profession but I personally would not want a nurse to take care of me who only got into the field because they wanted a stable paycheck.
Don't you agree that to do well in nursing you have to have some desire to be here in the first place? These are people's health and lives that we are dealing with. This field isn't just about a paycheck!!!
I know I'm probably being naieve and idealistic when I say this but I really feel that nursing is a calling, not a JOB!!! I've been doing this type of work for going on 10 years now and I have felt that way about it from day 1.
What do you think? Does it bother you that people are getting into nursing who have no desire to actually be a nurse? Just wanting to hear other people's perspectives on the issue.
:redpinkhe:up:
Very well put! I have said and felt the same exact thing that you have so eloquently put here many, many times.
To elaborate a bit more on your question, does it bother me? Yes, it does. I really wish it didn't, and I don't often get bothered by the actions of others, but this REALLY bothers me.
I am finishing up my pre-reqs and I have already taken one entrance exam. It has been a very hard (academically, financially, and emotionally) road for me, and I've put my blood, sweat, and tears into this. I want to be a nurse more than anything, and when/if I get my first rejection letter, do you know what will be at the forefront of my mind? "How many of these (expletive) people are doing this just for the money? How many of them are going to get grossed out by blood/vomit/urine and up and quit halfway through? How many of them are doing this just until the economy gets better? How many of them will get burned out because they weren't emotionally prepared for such a strenuous job?" (Followed by tears, beating my pillow, more expletives, etc.)
Don't get me wrong, I know times are tough. Who wouldn't want job security, benefits, and rad money wrapped up in a nice little bundle? Everyone does! But at what cost? I really wonder how much effort some of these people put into finding out what nursing is all about (even the ugly side). Every time I fill out an application at another school, I always wonder if I would have applied just 5+ years sooner, would nursing school be so cut-throat? Did people get into nursing for their heart then? Did I miss the point where nursing was not only a career but also driven by altruism and self-respect?
There are plenty of other health care careers that are just as booming and secure as nursing is. Why can't these guys go someplace else?
My mom is a nurse. When I was growing up she would tell me to NOT be a nurse. So I went to a university to be a medical technologist. After three years, I liked the content but I just didn't feel passion for it. I applied to a nearby private nursing school not really expecting to get admitted but was starting to feel such anxiety when going to the university that I had to do something. Well I was accepted and three months later started on my journey to becoming a nurse. And what a journey!!! I felt like I belonged in nursing from the very first day! I love love love being a nurse...now going on 15 years.(RN). It is HARD and EXAUSTING and EXHILARATING and UPLIFTING and MESSY...I cannot imagine if it was 'just for the paycheck'. My mom is so proud of me...she wanted me to be a nurse only if it was what spoke to me. I feel sorry for those who do not feel the passion...it must be hellish to drag yourself to a job that has as much stress and heartache for really not a ton of pay when you really just don't feel it.
I feel that this is a problem with my nursing program. We have a general nursing class that covers study skills, past, present, and future of nursing, historical events that shaped the profession etc. What it does not cover, is a nursing rotation. I see and hear so many people that I have been in pre-reqs with talk about the money, but never about the patients, the hours, the difficulty, the hard work. I think that the pre-req nursing class should have a rotation or two of observation. From what I understand there are many dropouts in the first semester that have nothing to do with the workload, but rather the reality of the job.
It irritates me when my own husband, who is a fire fighter and should know better, talks about how much money I'll make. I don't think I'll earn the salary he thinks I will, even though we are in a very good market for health care jobs.
Is it just my idealistic view of what a nurse should be or does this bother other nurses? I have heard several times lately and have read articles of people who are going to nursing school, not because they want to be a nurse but because they want the paycheck and a stable job. My sister in law is one of these people. She said to me, " I really don't want to be a nurse but I figure that I can work as a nurse while I go back to school." I find that mentality very frustrating. I worked very hard to become a nurse. I worked as a nursing assistant before I became a nurse so I could make sure that I knew what I was getting myself into, I shadowed nurses when I was in high school. I really feel that this is what I was put on this earth to do and to hear people talk like this who have absolutely no concept of what they are getting themselves into and who have no respect for the profession just boils my blood. I feel like these people, who have no intention of staying in nursing for an extended period of time just make it harder for the nursing student who actually wants to make a career of nursing because they take up spaces on the wait list for getting into nursing school.
Maybe some of these people will be excellent nurses and will contribute well to the profession but I personally would not want a nurse to take care of me who only got into the field because they wanted a stable paycheck.
Don't you agree that to do well in nursing you have to have some desire to be here in the first place? These are people's health and lives that we are dealing with. This field isn't just about a paycheck!!!
I know I'm probably being naieve and idealistic when I say this but I really feel that nursing is a calling, not a JOB!!! I've been doing this type of work for going on 10 years now and I have felt that way about it from day 1.
What do you think? Does it bother you that people are getting into nursing who have no desire to actually be a nurse? Just wanting to hear other people's perspectives on the issue.
I am 55 years old, male, and I am in the process of going back to school to become a nurse. No, I cannot
honestly say that it's what I always wanted to do, but I honestly believe that this is where God has led me.
I would not have chosen this profession on my own. I figure that I've spent a good deal of my life working
to make money and "get ahead" - now it's time to get into something where I can actually "give back" in
a real, direct, and substantial way. Yes, nursing is a good profession to be in, and you can in the right
circumstances make a decent salary. Plus people will never stop getting sick or needing medical attention.
So in a way it's a somewhat "recession-proof" career. But even considering all of these things, I still would
not have decided to do this solely of my own volition. It is something that I feel that I am being called to do.
I don't really expect anyone else to understand this or relate to it - it's an intensely personal thing for me,
and it involves my faith in God. I will, when I am out of nursing school, have to work at a large hospital for
a time, but eventually I'd like to do something like work with the poor and down-and-out, maybe even go
somewhere overseas to a Third-World country where medical staff are needed even more than here in the
U.S. We'll see what the Big Guy says, and where He points me :-)
Of course, the biggest comment I get from people I know is "I hear nurses make a lot of money these days"
and I suppose that's only natural as the poor economy and the bad job market is on everyone's minds these
days. But I'll tell you what - don't look askance at anyone who's looking to change careers or get into
nursing later in life, or necessarily view it as a mere $$$$$$ career move for them. What I feel I'm pursuing
is not so much a change in mere jobs, but a totally different vocation, one that may involve material blessings,
but also may not.
Yes, it's true that a lot of this is made possible by the current shortage of nurses everywhere, and that's
drawing a lot of new people into this, but not everyone is motivated just by the economic aspect of it.
I believe that a person must still be a caring and nurturing person who has compassion for others, and wants to
help them. I've always been this sort of person, and I think that a medical vocation will help bring this out
more fully in myself. More so than in jobs or careers that I've had in the past. I'm really looking forward to
being a nurse. Yes, I realize it will not be easy - getting there, or being there, but then it's not supposed to
be, and maybe for me that's part of the attraction to it. I find myself saying "gee I should have started doing
this years ago", but it was not placed within my mind and heart until now. And I'm glad that I'm doing it, and
I look with anticipation to what the future brings.
So, yes, it boils my blood to deal with nurses who don't give excellent, compassionate and quality care to every single patient - no matter what.
I'm sorry that you had such terrible co-workers, but I think you're failing to recognize that giving excellent, compassionate, quality care and becoming a nurse for the money are not mutually exclusive. There are many people [myself included] who take pride in being a good worker, and really strive to earn the money they make. That is, plenty of people have the mentality that, if they are paid to do something, they will do it to the best of their abilities. Saying that these people are in it for the money simply means that it doesn't matter what they're doing [nursing or any other job], they're going do their best and earn their pay.
As a personal disclaimer here, before I decided to apply for nursing school, I evaluated the potential earnings and job opportunities. I knew I wanted to pursue a nursing career and the potential for a decent income and steady work opportunities (not to mention the portability of nursing skills) was a huge positive motivator in actually going through with my choice.
I don't see anything wrong with getting into a profession that stimulates your mind and offers lifestyle flexibility, personal challenges and continuing education opportunities and being appropriately paid for it. To each their own. As much as I love what I do, I cannot afford to do what I do for free. We do make sacrifices in this career - some work long hours, we do shift work, we miss out on some family time, we work on holidays, some of us have no support services (so we can buy food or even coffee) when we work nights, we can be exposed to biohazardous materials (Universal Precautions notwithstanding), we are at risk for health problems secondary to sleep deprivation and shift work - so yes, doggonnit, we ought to be compensated for that.
I don't know about the rest of y'all, but I signed up for Nursing, not martyrdom.
:redpinkhe:up:
tonypeggy
24 Posts
I hope you exhibit more compassion for your patients than you do for your sister-in-law.